They Did Obey Every Word of Command with Exactness - Lesson Outline

Lesson 32: They Did Obey Every Word of Command with Exactness

Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (1999), 142–45

1.      Introduction

a)      Began the War Chapters last week

b)      Mormon’s account of this war begins in Alma 46 and continues until 62, making it the longest account of any war recorded in the Book of Mormon.

c)      About 30% of the Book of Mormon is devoted to accounts of wars between Nephites and Lamanites

d)     The length given by Mormon in his record pertaining to this particular war indicates its importance to the message he intended for his latter-day reader.  Recall that Mormon saw our day and chose “those things which would be of greatest worth to us” to include in his record. 

e)      Reading 1 – President Ezra Taft Benson said, “If they saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon?  We should constantly ask ourselves, “Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include that in his record?  What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?” (“The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986)

f)       READ – Then-Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Council of the Twelve Apostles said: “There has been a war between light and darkness, between good and evil, since before the world was created. The battle still rages and the casualties seem to be increasing.” (Henry B. Eyring, “The Power of Teaching Doctrine,” Ensign, May 1999, p. 73)

g)      READ - Elder M. Russell Ballard said: “We are in a war. This war is the same war that raged in the premortal world. Lucifer and his followers are committed to an evil direction.” (M. Russell Ballard, “Filling the World with Goodness and Truth,” Ensign, July 1996, p. 12.)

h)      Reading 2 - President Ezra Taft Benson, spoke of his concern about the spiritual warfare of our day: “We live in a day of great challenge.  We live in that time of which the Lord spoke when he said, ‘Peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.’ (D&C 1:35.)  We live in that day which John the Revelator foresaw when ‘the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’ (Rev. 12:17.)  The dragon is Satan; the woman represents the Church of Jesus Christ. Satan is waging war against the members of the Church who have testimonies and are trying to keep the commandments.  And while many of our members are remaining faithful and strong, some are wavering.  Some are falling.  Some are fulfilling John’s prophecy that in the war with Satan, some Saints would be overcome. (Ezra Taft Benson, “The Power of the Word,” Ensign, May 1986)

i)        Sometimes we read of the prophesies of wars and rumors of war in the last days and think they relate to military conflicts.

(1)   We have certainly had large military conflicts, but Pres. Benson implies that the biggest wars of the last days are wars between good and evil, spiritual wars

2.      Two thousand valiant young Ammonites covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites.

a)      Recall what the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, who would later be known as the people of Ammon did after they were converted.

i)        Reading 3 – Alma 24:15-18

15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.

 16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.

 17 And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of these sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth.

 18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.

(1)   Note in Verse 18, this was a covenant

b)      The Nephites promised to protect the people of Ammon when they were not able to defend themselves because of this covenant.

i)        When the war with the Lamanites was being waged, the people of Ammon had second thoughts.

ii)      Reading 4 – Alma 53:13-15

13 But it came to pass that when they saw the danger, and the many afflictions and tribulations which the Nephites bore for them, they were moved with compassion and were desirous to take up arms in the defence of their country.

 14 But behold, as they were about to take their weapons of war, they were overpowered by the persuasions of Helaman and his brethren, for they were about to break the oath which they had made.

 15 And Helaman feared lest by so doing they should lose their souls; therefore all those who had entered into this covenant were compelled to behold their brethren wade through their afflictions, in their dangerous circumstances at this time.

(1)   Demonstrates the importance of covenants. Helaman, a prophet was concerned for their souls if they broke their covenants.

(2)   ASK – What covenants do we make today?

(a)    Baptism

(b)   Temple

(3)   ASK – Do we regard our covenants with as much reverence as Helman regarded the covenants of the people of Ammon?

c)      The children of the people of Ammon

i)        Reading 5 – Alma 53:16-18

16 But behold, it came to pass they had many sons, who had not entered into a covenant that they would not take their weapons of war to defend themselves against their enemies; therefore they did assemble themselves together at this time, as many as were able to take up arms, and they called themselves Nephites.

 17 And they entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage.

 18 Now behold, there were two thousand of those young men, who entered into this covenant and took their weapons of war to defend their country.

(1)   The people of Ammon took their covenants seriously

(2)   Look at the covenants their children made and consider whether these stripling warriors kept their covenants with as much faithfulness as their parents had demonstrated in keeping their covenants.

(3)   Age – Under the law of Moses, a man was able to bear arms at age 20

(a)    Later on, an additional 60 stripling warriors would join the first 2,000 because they had become able to bear arms, presumably since they had reached the age of 20.

ii)      Reading 6 - President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 361)

d)     Choosing a Leader

i)        Reading 6 – Alma 53:19, 22

19 And now behold, as they never had hitherto been a disadvantage to the Nephites, they became now at this period of time also a great support; for they took their weapons of war, and they would that Helaman should be their leader.

SKIP

22 And now it came to pass that Helaman did march at the head of his two thousand stripling soldiers, to the support of the people in the borders of the land on the south by the west sea.

ii)      Significance of treating the prophet as our leader in our battles with Satan and his minions

iii)    READ - President Harold B. Lee said:  "The power of Satan will increase; we see it in evidence on every hand....

    "Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, 'as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;…as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.' (D&C 21:4-5.) There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory'." (Conference Report, Oct 1970, p152)

3.      The young soldiers exercise faith in God and fight courageously

a)      The first army that the young Ammonites faced was the Lamanites’ strongest and most numerous army.

b)      Helman asks his stripling warriors an important question.

i)        Reading 7 – Alma 56:44-47

44 Therefore what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?

 45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

 46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

ii)      Reading 8 - President Spencer W. Kimball said: “To be a righteous woman during the winding-up scenes on this earth, before the Second Coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times. She has been placed here to help to enrich, to protect, and to guard the home—which is society’s basic and most noble institution. Other institutions in society may falter and even fail, but the righteous woman can help to save the home, which may be the last and only sanctuary some mortals know in the midst of storm and strife” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 326–27). Xx

iii)    READ Alma 56:48

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

iv)    In this battle and all the battles which followed, none of the stripling warriors were killed in battle.

(1)   The faith of their mothers saved their lives because their mothers had passed their own faith to their children.

c)      In another battle, the Nephites were about to give way before the Lamanites.

i)        A retreating army is subject to many losses.

ii)      Reading 9 – Alma 57:19-20

19 But behold, my little band of two thousand and sixty fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before the Lamanites, and did administer death unto all those who opposed them.

 20 And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.

(1)   Helman describes the characteristics of warriors who are firm and undaunted.

a. “They were exceedingly valiant for courage” (Alma 53:20).

b. “They were … true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted” (Alma 53:20).

c. “They were men of truth and soberness” (Alma 53:21).

d. They had “exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe” (Alma 57:26).

e. They “put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:27).

f. They “[stood] fast in that liberty wherewith God [had] made them free” (Alma 58:40).

g. They were “strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day” (Alma 58:40).

h. They kept God’s “statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 58:40).

i. “Their faith [was] strong in the prophecies” (Alma 58:40).

Conclusion